2024 Micro Drone Race at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force Trophy Design

Every year in late February, micro drone racing pilots and fans from around the country travel to Dayton, OH for the annual Micro Drone Race at the US Air Force Museum. This race is so unique because we fly around the historic aircraft within Hangar 2 at the museum, in front of thousands of spectators.

This year, I was asked by the Cincinnati Quad Racers (the group hosting the event) to design and manufacture trophies for the race, to be given to the top 4 pilots in both sport and pro classes, as well as the overall top qualifier of the event.

The inspiration for this design came from traditional “cup” style trophies, except I decided to adapt that into a drone racing form. The indoor drones that we race, called “whoops”, have 4 ducts that house the propellers to protect people and obstacles from damage that the spinning blades may cause. I created 4 “cup” shapes that look similar to a whoop frame, and placed them at an angle to make it look like the drone was flying. I lofted that shape to the base to create the dynamic form.

In the center, I added the US Air Force Logo. I created a conical base form that contrasted the shape of the top, and added a plaque to the front that displays the event title, pilot placing, and the event class of the trophy.